Life

He was a nephew of Walter of Coutances, Bishop of Lincoln

Bishop of Lincoln

The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...

 and was treasurer of the diocese of Lisieux before his uncle appointed him Archdeacon of Oxford sometime before December of 1184. He also was dean

Dean (religion)

A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...

 of Rouen

Rouen

Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...

, and retained the treasurership of Lisieux while archdeacon.

He was elected in January of 1196 and consecrated on 20 October 1196. He died on 24 September 1198 or on 25 September. His death was commemorated on 24 September.

John should not be confused with a different John of Coutances who, in the 11th–12th century, wrote a chronicle of the Church at Coutances, France.